Greater Flint Health Coalition Names Kirk Smith President & CEO
June 28, 2010
Kirk D. Smith has been appointed President & CEO of the Greater Flint Health Coalition (GFHC) by its Board of Directors. Mr. Smith’s selection was announced today by Michigan State Senator Deborah Cherry, Chair of the GFHC’s Board of Directors. Mr. Smith has served as Interim Chief Executive Officer of the GFHC since January, 2010.
“Over the past six months while Kirk has served as Interim CEO, the Greater Flint Health Coalition Board has thoroughly evaluated his capabilities and leadership skills,” said Senator Cherry. “During that time, he has demonstrated significant knowledge of the issues facing the community relative to our citizen’s health status and our health care system’s challenges as it seeks to provide quality and cost effective care at the local level. Combined with his spirit and vision for getting diverse healthcare and community partners to work together, the Board is pleased to have Kirk as our President & CEO.”
Prior to being named Interim CEO of the Greater Flint Health Coalition in January, Mr. Smith served as its Vice President & Chief Operating Officer with a broad range of executive and programmatic responsibilities since joining the organization in 2005.
“I greatly appreciate the Board’s appointment of me as the Greater Flint Health Coalition’s President & CEO,” Smith said. “The Health Coalition is a unique organization not just in Michigan, but nationally, and it is a true honor to work alongside such a dynamic group of community leaders. As Genesee County and the State as a whole encounter some of our most challenging times, the collaborative efforts of our local healthcare providers, insurers, government, employers, community organizations, and citizens through the Health Coalition have the opportunity to make a number of positive, necessary changes to help our community become healthier.”
Smith, 31, is a native of Flint, Michigan. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The University of Michigan and master’s degree in Health Service Administration from The University of Michigan School of Public Health. He and his wife, Stephanie, reside in Fenton with their son.
The Greater Flint Health Coalition is a 501(c)3 designated non-profit healthcare coalition whose two-fold mission is to improve the health status of Genesee County residents and to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of the health care delivery system in the community. Established in 1996, the GFHC is a community / institutional partnership and multifaceted collaboration, with a Board membership that is a broad reflection of the community’s leadership – including hospitals, physicians, government, public health, labor, business, insurers, education, consumers, and the faith-based community.
The Coalition’s vision is a healthy Genesee County community practicing healthy lifestyles with access to the best and most cost effective health and medical care. Since its formation, the GFHC has become a neutral table in which cutting-edge, collaborative initiatives related to health care access, quality, cost, and health improvement can be addressed to improve the community’s health status.
Community Foundation of Greater Flint Awards GFHC $45,000 for Diabetes Group Visit Project
June 23, 2010
The Arthur L. Tuuri Health Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint has awarded the Greater Flint Health Coalition’s (GFHC) Diabetes Group Visit Project with a $45,000 grant. The GFHC’s Diabetes Group Visit Project, which began in 2008, aims to reduce diabetes morbidity and improve quality of life for diabetic patients in Genesee County through the implementation of diabetes group visits, an innovative clinical care model which has demonstrated effectiveness with improved patient outcomes, improved patient and physician satisfaction, and reduced healthcare costs.
Diabetes group visits are a shared medical appointment that allows one physician to engage approximately seven to ten patients in a two hour session, providing each patient extended time with the physician and facilitating group discussion around improving patient management of diabetes. Discussion topics include healthy behaviors, diet and nutrition, exercise, medication, and foot care as each patient shares “best practices” in addressing with various aspects of diabetes care and management. Specialists such as diabetes educators, nutritionists, and behaviorists are also engaged in each group visit.
“The potential for diabetes group visits to improve patient self-management of diabetes is truly remarkable,” said Paul Dake, M.D., Chair of the GFHC Diabetes Group Visit Project Workgroup and Site Director, McLaren Family Practice Residency Program. “This improvement is especially relevant for poorly managed patients who do not respond well to traditional one-on-one care, so therefore physicians have additional time to deal with their most difficult patients through the group setting.”
The GFHC’s Diabetes Group Visit Project Workgroup collaboratively guides the efforts of the project through representation from McLaren Regional Medical Center, Genesys Health System, Hurley Medical Center, the Genesee County Medical Society, Genesee Health Plan, HealthPlus of Michigan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and the United Auto Workers. To learn more about physicians in the community offering the diabetes group visit model, please contact the GFHC.
Passage of Health Reform A Historic Moment
March 23, 2010
On Sunday, March 21st, 2010 the United States House of Representatives passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which was originally passed by the Senate on December 24, 2009. Healthcare reform has been the top legislative priority of President Barack Obama since taking office in January of 2009 and its passage marks the most significant healthcare legislation since the creation of Medicare in 1965. President Obama signed the bill into law on March 23, 2010.
The historic legislation followed a series of compromises by the majority leadership of both chambers of Congress. While many of the reforms will be implemented immediately, many of the most substantive components of the legislation will be rolled out incrementally over the next decade. Ultimately, an additional 32 million Americans will have health insurance that did not before.
Here is a timeline of when the various components of reform will take effect:
2010-Immediately…
- All health insurance plans are prohibited from denying coverage to children with pre-existing health problems or conditions;
- All health insurance plans are required to offer coverage to dependent children through the age of 26;
- Small businesses with 25 employees or fewer will be offered tax credits to help get and keep coverage for their employees;
- The gap in prescription drug coverage for Medicare recipients known as the “doughnut hole” which begins after $2,830 is spent, will be slowly phased out. In 2010, seniors entering the “doughnut hole” will be eligible for a $250 rebate to help pay for the cost of drugs.
- Indoor tanning is subject to a 10% sales tax.
2010-Within three months of bill becoming law…
- Adults who have been uninsured for at least six months and have pre-existing conditions can enroll in a temporary high-risk insurance pool. Those enrolled will receive subsidized premiums making health care more affordable. The pools expire when health insurance exchanges are implemented in 2014.
2011
- Medicare beneficiaries reaching the “doughnut hole” will receive a 50% discount on brand name drugs.
- Medicare will begin offering a 10% bonus to primary care physicians and general surgeons practicing in underserved areas such as inner cities and rural communities.
- Privately administered Medicare Advantage plans would have their payments frozen (payments will be lowered in 2012). 85 cents of every dollar received for administering the Medicare program will have to be spent on medical costs leaving 15 cents out of every dollar for operations.
- A limited long-term care insurance program will be made available to provide modest cash benefits for nursing home costs and assisting the disabled. Benefits begin after the fees for coverage have been paid for five years.
- Funding for federally qualified community health centers will be increased.
- Employers begin reporting the value of any healthcare benefits provided on their employees’ W-2 tax statements.
- Pharmaceutical manufacturers will be assessed a $2.3 billion annual fee which will increase in subsequent years.
2012
- Nonprofit insurance cooperatives would be created to compete with commercial insurers in the marketplace.
- Hospitals, physicians, and insurers would be encouraged to collectively form “accountable care organizations.”
- Medicare payments to hospitals with high rates of preventable readmissions would be reduced.
2013
- Medicare payroll tax would increase from the current 1.45% to 2.35% for individuals earning $200,000 a year and couples who earn $250,000 a year.
- Unearned income such as dividends and interest would be taxed at 3.8%.
- The threshold for claiming itemized tax deductions for medical expenses rises from 7.5% of income to 10% of income. People who are 65 years of age or older can continue to deduct medical expenses up to 7.5% of income through 2016.
- Contributions to tax sheltered flexible spending accounts (FSA’s) are limited to $2,500 a year-indexed for inflation.
- A 2.3% sales tax on medical devices for Medicare device makers will be introduced, however, eyeglasses, contact lenses, and hearing aids would be exempt.
2014
- All legal residents of the United States would be required to have health insurance except in cases of financial hardship. Penalties, to be paid to the Internal Revenue Service, would be assessed for those who do not have health insurance. Individual penalties start at $95 in 2014 and rise to $695 in 2016. Family penalties will be capped at $2,250. After 2016, penalties will be indexed to inflation.
- State health insurance exchanges will be created that will allow individuals and businesses to shop and compare health insurance plans. Tax credits will be available for households up to 400% of the federal poverty level.
- Medicaid would cover low-income individuals and families up to 133% of the federal poverty level.
- Denying insurance coverage or charging higher rates based on pre-existing or chronic conditions will be prohibited. Higher premiums (with limitations) can be charged only for age, place of residence, family size, and tobacco use.
- Maternity care will be treated by insurers in the same manner as other medical procedures.
- Employers with more than 50 employees will be required to provide health insurance. Employers will be penalized $2,000 per employee if any of their employees procure insurance through an exchange and receive a tax credit. Employers who are penalized may deduct the first 30 workers from the assessment.
- Health insurance companies that collect $25 million or more annually in premiums will be subject to an excise tax based on market share. The industry-wide tax will equal $8 billion in 2014, $11.3 billion in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and $14.3 billion in 2018. The excise tax will be indexed to inflation thereafter.
2018
- A tax will be imposed on employer sponsored health insurance worth more than $10,200 for individual coverage, and $27,500 for family plans. The tax is 40% of the value of the plan above the thresholds, indexed for inflation.
2020
- The Medicare “doughnut hole” is eliminated. Seniors will pay the standard 25% of drug costs until the threshold for Medicare catastrophic coverage is reached (currently $4,450).
Consistent with months of community dialogue stimulated by the GFHC in early 2009 that culminated in the GFHC Board of Directors’ adoption of an official Resolution on Universal Access to Health Care on June 15, 2009, the passage of health reform is a significant national step forward toward achieving the Coalition’s goal of 100% access to health care of a basic and essential nature for all Genesee County residents.
C.S. Mott Foundation Awards GFHC $125,000 for Flint Healthcare Employment Opportunities (FHEO) Program
March 15, 2010
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation recently announced $125,000 of additional funding for the Greater Flint Health Coalition’s model Flint Healthcare Employment Opportunities (FHEO) Program.
This renewal grant will provide partial funding to the GFHC to continue implementation of the FHEO Program. The purpose of the initiative is to create sustainable employment and promote career advancement for low-income Genesee County residents by working with health industry employers to restructure their hiring, retention, and promotional practices for healthcare employees. With this grant, the project will continue to enroll new clients, provide career paths for existing clients, and participate in regional economic development initiatives. The FHEO Program offers training programs for entry-level job candidates, dislocated workers, incumbent workers, and summer youth.
The FHEO Program was introduced to the community in 2002 and would not have been possible without the vision and generous support of the C.S. Mott Foundation. Since its inception, more than 600 Genesee County residents have received healthcare career training through the FHEO Program. The GFHC wishes to extend its gratitude to the C.S. Mott Foundation for its continued support.
For more information on the FHEO Program, click on the link on the main page or under the “Current Programs” tab.
Greater Flint Health Coalition names Kirk D. Smith Interim Chief Executive Officer
February 4, 2010
On January 11, 2010, Kirk D. Smith was appointed Interim CEO of the Greater Flint Health Coalition (GFHC). Mr. Smith’s selection was announced by Michigan State Senator Deborah Cherry, Chair of the GFHC’s Board of Directors. He succeeds Stephen Skorcz, who recently retired after 12 years as the organization’s President & CEO.
“The Greater Flint Health Coalition Board has the utmost confidence that Kirk Smith will effectively lead our organization through this leadership transition,” Cherry added, noting that Mr. Smith has served as Vice President & Chief Operating Officer with a broad range of executive and programmatic responsibilities with the GFHC since joining the organization in 2005.
The Greater Flint Health Coalition is a 501(c)3 designated non-profit healthcare coalition whose two-fold mission is to improve the health status of Genesee County residents and to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of the health care delivery system in the community. Established in 1996, the GFHC is both a community/institutional partnership and multifaceted collaboration, with a Board membership that is a broad reflection of the community’s leadership – including government, hospitals, labor, business, insurers, physicians, education, consumers, and the faith-based community.
The Coalition’s vision is a healthy Genesee County community practicing healthy lifestyles with access to the best and most cost effective health and medical care. Since its formation in 1996, the GFHC has become a neutral table in which cutting-edge, collaborative initiatives related to health care access, quality, cost, and health improvement can be addressed to improve our community’s health status.
Smith, a native of Flint, Michigan, earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology and master’s degree in Health Service Administration at the University of Michigan in 2002 and 2008, respectively.
C.S. Mott Foundation Awards GFHC with $75,000 grant for Health Care Impact Study
December 8, 2009
The Greater Flint Health Coalition (GFHC) is pleased to announce a new $75,000 grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to support a Health Care Impact Study, which began in September 2009. In an effort to improve the health status of Genesee County & City of Flint residents and to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of the healthcare delivery system, the GFHC is convening the Health Care Impact Subcommittee of the City of Flint Mayor's Local Auto Task Force. The Health Care Impact Study was undertaken to evaluate and address the impact of the automotive crisis on the community's healthcare delivery system and resident’s associated health status.
The study, being conducted by the GFHC and its consulting firm, The Lewin Group, will establish and compare a pre-economic crisis baseline and the current picture of the healthcare system in Genesee County, as well as project future impacts, while developing a process to monitor and intervene.
The end product of this study will be a community needs assessment relative to the health care delivery system. A resultant series of recommended strategies for how local healthcare system entities can collaboratively implement solutions and/or interventions to triage the impacts on health status and the healthcare system’s ability to supply services that meet the demand of the residents of the community will be developed. Upon analysis of these recommendations by the community’s health care and business leaders, an official request for federal aid to support the developed strategies will be submitted to Dr. Ed Montgomery, President Obama’s Director of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers.
In addition to the $75,000 grant from the C.S. Mott Foundation, the GFHC’s major core funders – Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Genesys Health System, HealthPlus of Michigan, Hurley Medical Center, McLaren Regional Medical Center, and the United Auto Workers – provided matching funding that collectively made this community study possible.
The GFHC plans to complete the study by Spring 2010.
GFHC Advises President Obama on Health Reform, adopts Resolution on Universal Access to Health Care
JUNE 16, 2009
After months of stimulating a community dialogue on health care reform, the
Greater Flint Health Coalition's Board of Directors adopted an official
Resolution on Universal Access to Health Care on Monday, June 15, 2009.
The approved Resolution was finalized and adopted following months of
community-wide dialogue, input, and deliberations amongst community
leaders representing physicians, hospitals, business, organized labor,
government, educators, insurers, grassroots community organizations,
healthcare consumers, as well as the residents of Genesee County. Following
the Coalition Board’s adoption, the Resolution on Universal Access to Health
Care will be provided to President Barack Obama’s administration as they
continue to engage communities nationwide to come together to form
positions and provide input on health reform.
Specifically, the Coalition's position for health reform calls for:
- Universal access to health care for all citizens
- An end to the employer-based system of health coverage
- A benefit package which is as comprehensive as Congressional health plans
- A private, regulated insurance system
- The elimination of all means testing for the general public
- Funding through general taxation.
The Coalition's Resolution on Universal Access to Health Care contends that there is currently enough money in the healthcare system to cover every American if certain structural flaws are addressed through reform. For example, the United States currently spends 25 – 30% of every healthcare dollar on administration.
This past March, The Flint Journal reported that the Greater Flint Health Coalition was engaging the community in a dialogue regarding health care reform by circulating a "provocative" resolution throughout Genesee County. The public at-large and organizations were invited to provide feedback and contribute to revising the resolution with the goal being to ultimately send a community-wide recommendation to President Barack Obama and legislators regarding health care reform. The product of this activity is the Greater Flint Health Coalition’s Resolution on Universal Access to Health Care as adopted by the GFHC Board on June 15, 2009, which will now be forwarded to the Obama administration and other legislators.
Coincidently, as the resolution was about to be adopted as the official position of the Greater Flint Health Coalition, President Barack Obama called on the mayors of the United States to organize and engage communities nationwide around the importance of health reform under an effort entitled Mayors for Health Reform. The goals of this nationwide effort include:
- Create local momentum for health reform
- Educate communities on the need for health reform this year
- Listen to the voices and health care concerns of communities
- Advance the President's understanding of the health care problems Americans face and the solutions they propose
- Build support amongst peers and constituents for health reform.
The Coalition’s Resolution on Universal Access to Health Care meets the requirements of this request and will in turn be provided to the President’s administration in the coming days.
The Greater Flint Health Coalition and its Board of Directors would like to extend their most sincere gratitude to the residents of Flint and Genesee County as well as the numerous organizations which offered their thoughts and input regarding the resolution and the critical issue of health reform.
The Greater Flint Health Coalition is a non-profit 501(c)3 Michigan organization
established in 1992 whose mission is to improve the health status of Genesee County (Michigan) residents and to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of the County’s healthcare delivery system. The GFHC is both, a community/institutional partnership and a multifaceted collaboration with a Board of Directors that broadly reflects the community and its leadership – government, public health, hospitals, labor, business, insurers, physicians, the educational system, consumers, and faith-based organizations.
To read the full Resolution, please click here
Flint Healthcare Employment Opportunities (FHEO) Program offers free job training and tuition for Dislocated Workers interested in Health Care careers
MAY 1, 2009
Job Training & Tuition Available Now for Dislocated Workers Interested in Healthcare
On June 30, 2008, the United States Department of Labor announced a $2 million grant to Michigan to train 400 dislocated workers for
healthcare jobs. 250 of those workers will be trained by the Flint
Healthcare Employment Opportunities (FHEO) Program, a unique six-year old sector workforce development program of the Greater Flint
Health Coalition. Sector workforce development programs focus on a
specific industry, in this case healthcare, where employers direct and
manage the program.
Recruitment of dislocated workers has begun for the FHEO Program,
which assists Genesee County residents in obtaining educational and
employment opportunities in the healthcare industry. According to
the U.S. Department of Labor, a dislocated worker includes (but is
not limited to) an individual who: has been terminated or laid off; has
exhausted unemployment insurance; works at a facility that will close
within 180 days; was self-employed but is currently unemployed; or
is a displaced homemaker.
What will a dislocated worker receive under the FHEO Program?
A dislocated worker, who during a two-month period, will complete a healthcare career assessment and training process consisting of the following components:
- Skills Assessment including Reading and Math
- Suitability to Health Care Assessment
- Healthcare Career Exploration
- Skills for Returning to College Workshop
- Personal Finance Workshop
- Resume, Interview, and Presentation Skills Training
- Developmental Classes to promote Successful Job Performance
- Individualized Educational/Career Development Plan
All participants are eligible for support services (e.g. child care, transportation, case management, etc.) during this training
What is the career path?
After this two-month training, most dislocated workers will move on to college-level "classroom training" to pursue one of the following healthcare careers:
- Registered Nurse
- License Practical Nurses
- Radiological Technologist
- Medical Biller
- Pharmacy Technician
- Health Unit Coordinator
- Medical Assistant
- Dental Assistant
- Dental Hygienist
- Other in-demand healthcare career
Tuition, fees, and textbooks will be supported through funding from No
Worker Left Behind, Career Alliance, and U.S. Department of Labor.
The Greater Flint Health Coalition is a non-profit 501(c)3 Michigan organization established in 1992 whose mission is to improve the health status of Genesee County (Michigan) residents and to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of the County’s healthcare delivery system. The Coalition is both, a community/institutional partnership and a multifaceted collaboration with a Board of Directors that broadly reflects the community and its leadership – government, hospitals, labor, business, insurers, physicians, the educational system, consumers, and faith-based organizations. The Greater Flint Health Coalition Board of Directors is chaired by Michigan State Senator Deborah Cherry.
Coalition President & CEO Stephen Skorcz states, "this grant is proof that the hard work of the Coalition is one of Flint’s unique success stories during this difficult time in Michigan."